Gardenia
by frenchfrylurva
Summary: Edward is the most eligible bachelor in the Big Apple. Bella is an aspiring designer who's set to to take over the world. When they met, he swept her off her feet. But now, she's ready to rethink her life. All HuMAN BellaEdwardOC
1. Prologue

_**Disclaimer: Nope, don't own anything. Unfortunately.**_

_**Note: Hey people, please R & R. I was listening to Mandy Moore's Gardenia and I loved loved loved it. So this idea popped into my once-hollow head lol. So check it out, and PLEASE CHECK OUT THE SONG. You ain't gonna regret it, Trust me ;)**_

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**PROLOGUE**

_"Do we have to do this now?", he asked, simultaneously throwing his freshly ironed clothes in the suitcase. He was leaving for another business trip two continents away and considering the fact that his flight was leaving in two hours, he had no time to waste to have another fight. No matter how they make up each time, it does not stop them from fighting every single time he had to be away. It's not like he had a choice, he was after all Edward Cullen. His destiny was made up for him since the day he was born._

_Funnily, she found herself calm instead of instigating a bicker with him like she always have. She wasn't giving in, she was just tired. "Yes"_

_He didn't answer, but continued picking up his documents, shoving everything into his briefcase. She hated the fact that he never pays attention to her when she talks. _

_Eighteen months ago, it was all about her and how she was going to survive in a big city. Eighteen months later, it was about him and his family business. In that eighteen months, she grew to let herself go, to heed what he was fighting for._

_Taking a deep breath, she turned away and realised that she really needed to do this. "We can't keep doing this", she said. Her words made him halt his movements as he turned to look at her. "What are you saying?"_

_Bella stuttered, "I can't- I can't do this anymore". Of course, it wasn't easy for her to say this. Edward looked at her, anticipating further explanation for the words which came out of her mouth._

_She straightened herself up, and continued. "I think we both need a break from each other"_

_"Belle I told you, it's important for me to take up these business deals now before it's too late", he moved closer to her, gently cupping her beautiful face in his hands. "And there's nothing going on between me and my ex-girlfriend"_

_Bella shook her head, holding her tears back. "No, don't you see? It's not about your family, your business nor your ex-girlfriend. It's you and me." She shrugged him off and took two steps back. "This is not me"_

_Edward scoffed, with a frown across his forehead, "What are you talking about? You're Bella Swan, Isabella Swan, with beautiful dark hair and the most beautiful face I've ever seen"_

_"But I'm not the Bella Swan you first fell in love with", she retorted at an instant. "I used to believe that nothing else matters as long as I have you. As time passes, instead of holding onto it as a belief, I have to convince myself to believe in it. This is not what I wanna do, I don't want to sit around and wait for you to come back every evening. I don't want to spend my days sleeping when you're not around. I don't want to go shopping on your Visa platinum when I'm bored. That's not me. I was going to pave my own future, and make it on my own. I had this determination and passion for life and because I am so in love with you, I left myself behind"_

_Edward didn't answer, he couldn't. There was nothing he could say at that moment because it hit him that instead of being happy and carefree like he wanted her to be, she was in fact miserable all this time. When he first met her, she was different from any other girl he's met or been with. He loved her, when she gave him her first Hello. When he first asked her to move in, he promised to make her the happiest woman on earth. He thought that she was, until now. _

_Bluntly, he muttered. "Okay". Then he went back to pack his shut his briefcase and suitcase. Picking them up, he headed out the door of the bedroom they both shared. Before he shut the door, he turned back and looked at her, "But I'll always love you Bella Swan"_

_With that, he left. She crumbled onto the floor and cried her heart out, wondering if she's made the biggest mistake of her life. _

**oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo**

**"I'm the one who likes Gardenia, I'm the one who likes to make love on the floor,**

**I don't wanna hang up the phone yet, **

**It's been good, getting to know me more"**

--


	2. Self Inflicted

_**Note: Here's another one up. R & R!**_

_**ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo**_

**SELF-INFLICTED**

"What do you think?", Bella led Alice into the new place she's just moved into. It was a loft, with a huge living are for her to put up her workdesk and do her yoga, a kitchen large enough for her utilities and pantry and a room, cosy enough for her plushy bed. It took her three apartments and two downpayments to get to this.

It has been two months since Edward walked out the door. On that same night, Bella packed up her bags and left his penthouse but of course, she left a note behind for him. She knew he would not have read the note until two weeks later and true enough, two weeks later, he called. However she knew he would not let his ego slide and beg her to go back to him. Edward Cullen is not the kind of man who'd crumble to pieces for a woman, especially not a woman like her. No matter how he said he loved her, he will always be Edward Cullen whose responsibilities and priorities triumph over her. He could have anyone he wanted, she was just someone he met along the way.

"Well it's better than your last couple of places for sure", Alice shrugged, as she walked into the bedroom. Usually Bella would contradict whatever that comes out of Alice's mouth, like how Alice thought that she should never have let Edward go. Of course Alice would root for Edward, she was his sister; they were family. This time, Bella had to agree with Alice. She's moved to an apartment in Brooklyn with roaches coming out at night, another at Riverside Drive where the neighbours were a bunch of college graduates with rowdy parties almost every night and one more at Jackson Heights where she had a hard time communicating with her immediate Korean neighbours.

"So is the wall supposed to be like this?", Alice ran her fingers through the red bricked walls, which are obviously uncoated with paint. As a matter of fact, that was the first thing about the loft which caught her attention. Bella began to unpack her boxes, "Yea, I love it like that"

"Well did it ever cross your mind to move...", before Alice could even finish her question, Bella knew instantly what she was going to say and immediately countered, "Alice, No"

Alice shrugged, "All right, just a suggestion". Alice Cullen loved her brother too much to let Bella walk away from him, especially when she saw the special connection between them. After all, she was the one who formally introduced them after they've met informally, it's only natural for her to harvest the follow-up.

"How's he?", Bella couldn't help but ask. It was Friday at 8 a.m. and she knew that at this moment, he should be out for a daily jog. Alice landed on the couch, "The last time I talked to him, he sounded alright. He's leaving for London this weekend, and I think he's been seeing someone new". She quickly noticed how Bella's face fell at the corner of her eyes and hated herself for revealing.

Even though her heart clutched as the words came out of Alice's mouth, Bella held herself well and went on unpacking. "That's good to hear".

Swiftly Alice changed the topic, shifting the focus from Edward to Bella instead. "So, are you planning to participate in the competition or what? You have a really big chance of winning you know". Alice knew Bella was interested in the recently announced competition for the upcoming New York Fashion Week the moment they walked past the Big Ad down at Fifth Ave. The winner of the competition will be given a chance to put up a show on the finale night of the Fashion Week itself and the way Alice saw it, Bella has a 99.9 percent chance of winning. She's seen Bella's work before and sometimes, she resent her brother for sheltering Bella too much that she gave up her dreams for him.

"Are you crazy? I think I need to pick up the pieces first before I step into something big", Bella rolled her eyes at Alice who in turn, jumped up from the couch. "Look, I'll help you pick things up alright? In fact I'll help you clean up your new place if you want. Just go for it!" She then pulled out a slip from a bag and held it right infront of Bella's face. "I signed you up"

"WHAT?", Bella shrieked and pulled the paper out of her hand for confirmation. At that moment, her heart was plunging down twenty hundred feet from the sky and her eyes were as big as the moon. It was indeed signed up under the name of Bella Swan for the label of Bella Swan. "Alice ARE YOU INSANE?"

"I know, I know you're going to screw me for the rest of my life but this IS it Bella, your dream! And there's no harm trying!", Alice was desperately trying to convince Bella, whom by now, was ransacking the house for her cell phone to call and retract the participation.

"Alice I'm not ready for something like this. I don't even know if I could ever pick up a pencil to draw or- or do a patchwork!"

"You're exagerrating", Alice trotted behind Bella, her mind searching for the right words to talk her into this. "Look, let this be your first step. and then you can have many many more steps after that"

Bella still was not keen on listening to her, still looking for her cellphone. Then Alice quickly held Bella back and clutched her by her shoulders. "We are GOING TO DO THIS. You will take part in it, God Bella, you're talented! Please, can we just try ONCE? At least through the preliminaries and if you decided to stop after that, I'm not going to stop you" Alice pled, using her sad golden eyes knowing that they will melt even the meanest man's heart in the world.

Bella looked at her best friend who literally signed her up for deep trouble and back down at the slip in her hands, then she sighed. Firmly, she told Alice, "Preliminaries, that's the furthest I'm going to go. After that you are not going to stop me from whatever decision I make"

A smile instantly formed across Alice's face. "Thank youuuu so much!" She gave Bella a tight hug and it felt as if she's saved the last person on earth in a mission. Sometimes, for all the things that Bella was thankful for, she was indeed grateful to have someone like Alice around.

Bella then smirked, "So are you really going to help me clean up my apartment?"

**oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo**

_**"These wounds are self inflicted"**_


	3. If It Kills Me

_**Note: Sorry, lack of updates. Thanks for the reviews though. Here's another one, and hopefully I'll get another up this weekend. In the mean time, have a good weeeeeekendddd lol. And the title of this chapter comes from Jason Mraz's If It Kills Me. Fab song so check it out! :)**_

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

**IF IT KILLS ME**

His head has been thundering since the rays shone through the blinds, waking him up from his sleep. Reluctantly, he had to open his sleepy eyes and break free from a pair of boney arms wrapped around his torso. Edward forcefully dragged himself out of bed to get his usual morning coffee fix before heading for a jog. The funny thing is, he wasn't sleeping in his own master bedroom with a bed as huge as the base of the Giza pyramid even though he's under his own roof. Instead, he found himself in the guest room, a room he nestled himself in whenever he had women hustling in and out, and specifically, women who are not Bella Swan.

He found it hard to sleep in the bed he shared with Bella for the past year with any other women, let alone, do things more than just sleeping. To bail himself out of guilt, as quoted by his faithful butler named Cadbury, he threw himself in the guest room.

"Hi", the boney arms he broke free from earlier, found their way around his torso again from behind. Edward smirked, he knew the ladies always had a knack for him. Unfortunately for them, he was not interested in anything 'more than a week' and the most he has ever gone was six days max. Unless, the opposite sex is by the name of Bella Swan. If that were the case, he would pledge his life.

"You need to go", he placed a kiss on her forehead and headed to his shelf of shoes for his pair of running shoes. Before she work her magic on him, Edward was out the door. This might get him nowhere, but at the same time, this may be the only way for Edward Cullen to go on his way to leave Bella Swan behind.

**ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo**

"So brother, how have you been lately?", he took a call from Alice one day when she decided to ask him out for lunch and considering that they have not been in contact for the past few weeks, Edward went along with it because he loved his sister too much not to say yes. In a way, she was really to have a catch-up session with her brother. In another, she was planning to spy on him and his latest conquests. But of course, Edward wouldn't know. In Alice's point of view, all Edward ever knew about his entire life is the family shipping business and himself.

Edward set his fork down and frowned at his sister, "Why are you being so formal?" Alice always told Edward everything and has always looked up to Edward like her Oprah and for guidance. The fact that she did not start of the conversation with "Me, myself OR I", triggered his question.

She swerved her eyes away, to avoid her brother's gaze. "What do you mean? I was asking how you are doing"

Edward took a sip of his drink. "Yes, but you usually talk about yourself first before asking about me"

His answer prompted her to drop her fork on the table with an annoyed expression. She wasn't really annoyed, really. She was just trying to cover up for her stupidity to not focus on herself first before trying to pry on her brother. "Is it wrong for a girl to be polite for once?"

Edward shrugged. "No. Anyway I've been very well". Then, he stopped and he started thinking. He was curious, but he knew he should not be asking. Yet his curiousity has been killing him slowly for weeks and months.

He cleared his throat, muttering, "How's she?"

"Who?" Alice puzzled.

It took him awhile to answer . "Bella. How's she coping?"

Alice instantly looked up at his brother, she had wanted to tell him how Bella still cared even though she never admitted it. But Alice, being cheeky the way she is, decided to pull her brother with a string. "Oh Bella. She's been busy these weeks, I made her take part in this New York Fashion Week competition and I am telling you Edward, she's going to win it". She said it with such assurance that Edward felt a pang in his heart that Bella's giving it more than she's got.

"Oh", he should be happy now that Bella's doing something she is passionate about. However, the thought of Bella moving on better than he expected her to sent a shock of disappointment across his body.

His sister added casually. "But she asked about you"

"Really?". Edward immediately lit up like a light bulb in the dark.

"And I accidentally let it slip that you were kind of seeing someone", she confessed, as a-matter-of-factly.

"What? Oh come on, Alice", he sighed in defeat, realising that his sister could have just made him look much more worse than he had wanted to initially infront of the love of his life.

She explained and decided to hit some buttons along the way. "It slipped Edward. I didn't mean to, besides, it's not like you guys are getting back together"

Edward instantly retorted. "How would you know that I'm not trying?"

Alice looked up at his brother, and this time, she was serious. "Are you? You're flying more frequently than ever, London two weeks ago, Frankfurt last week, Hong Kong this week; you are really not trying". And with that, Alice knew she's hit all the right buttons to put some real common sense into her brother.

Edward knew that his sister was right but simultaneously, he knew his life better than she does. "I know what I'm doing Alice"

"What about that girlfriend of yours?", she shot him a look across the table.

The first woman who came to his mind was the boney-armed female from a few days earlier. "Pauline?"

"Oh there's Pauline now?", Alice cocked her left brow and argued. "What happened to Diane? This is what I'm saying Edward, you're not trying and maybe you shouldn't anyway. I don't want you to distract her".

Edward turned away from his sister, defeated. He didn't know where Bella was at, even though he could find out in five minutes just by making a phone call. He didn't know how to tell her he missed her, even though sometimes it takes more than one hard drink to drown it away. He didn't know how to make things right again, even though he knew he would want to with every single ounce of energy he have left. And that leaves him with nothing. Edward Cullen, for the first time, did not know what to do in his life. And as well as for the first time, he felt like an idiot.

**oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo**

_**"And all I really want from you is to feel me**_

_**It's a feeling inside that keeps building**_

_**And I will find a way to you if it kills me,**_

_**If it kills me**_

_**It might kill me"**_


	4. You Give Me Something

_**Note: This is the first of a few flashbacks which I've decided to include in the storyy :). Have funnn. Title inspired by James Morrison's You Give Me Something, which is one of the sweetest songs I've ever heard. Make sure to check it outtt! **_

_**oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo**_

**YOU GIVE ME SOMETHING**_****_

_He didn't know anything about her except that she has beautiful dark brown hair and a pair of chocolate eyes with beautiful skin that sent shivers down his spine. Her hair maybe straight but it was al over like she just came out from a warzone and yet it did not make her look any worse.They were a practically ten feet apart from one another and yet, he noticed her the moment she took a step closer to Paul Cézanne's painting and studied it like no one he has ever seen before. _

_Edward Cullen was smitten and he had not planned for this. His initial plan was to come to the Metropolitan Museum to get away from work and the boardroom and instead, he found himself in a very different situation than expected. She didn't look local like most of the women in Manhattan and yet, she was very well-dressed even when she's only in a pair of jeans and boots. He moved closer, drawn like an instant magnetic attraction. _

_He couldn't help but notice her lashes flicked at each stroke she looked at the painting. She looked at the painting and turned her attention back down to the notebook in her hand, her pen moving like she was sketching. Then she turned in Edward's direction, but her gaze was still focusing on her book and she started walking slowly. _

_She kept walking in his direction, not realising what was up ahead until she decided to look up and found a man in his Armani suit. "Oh hello", she was new, and the last thing she knew she should do was to cross path of people she barely knew in this supposed-monstrous city. Bella Swan went back to her book and kept walking, this time however, she was out of his way._

_Bella Swan, however, left Edward Cullen mesmerized as he turned back and watched her walk away._

_**oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo**_

_Bella Swan was a newbie, as she called herself. She declared herself a 'newbie' the moment her plane landed in JFK._

_Charlie had wondered why Bella was keen on coming to New York City when she could have done everything in Forks. But Charlie didn't know that Bella fell in love with the city and the wonders its fashion could do the first time she came here on a summer internship at Parson's. Charlie didn't know that Bella wanted to be the next Nanette Lepore when all the while he thought she wanted to be one of the seamstresses back home in Forks. Charlie didn't know that Bella was ready to take over the world the moment she could walk. Charlie wanted her to go to Washington State University but Bella pled her case to end up in Cornish College of the Arts. _

_So, Bella Swan decided to take on her own future with her own hands. She argued her case out and of course, she won._

_Everyone told her how mosntrous New York City was, everyone, including her mother. Yet, she begged to differ as she sees New York from another point of view. According to Bella, she sees it from the fashion point of view. She was keen to pave the road to her future. And thankfully, she met Alice Cullen from her summer internship at Parson's to be able to get adapted quickly._

_Bella always loved Alice because like Bella, Alice has the same passion, except that Alice has always wanted to be the next Vera Wang. _

_"I want you to meet my Oprah!", Alice exclaimed excitingly to Bella over at lunch. Bella begun to wonder if Alice actually meant to say her shrink and was pulled into a puddle of guesses if Alice was seeing a shrink and heck, why was she even seeing one._

_"Oprah?", Bella repeated, puzzling at Alice's remark._

_Alice shrugged, her expression tells that she was searching for the right words to explain what her brother was to him. He was more than a brother, he was more than family. He was the one who lifted her when she fell the first time she took her first steps. He was the one who also lifted her up whenever her heart was getting broken by a string of what-he-called "pathetic scums" back in her wild child days. She snapped her fingers instantly,. "Hmm, Oprah, in the Dr. Phil kinda way"_

_Bella still didn't get it, "Huh?"_

_Then Alice instantly stood up as her eyes never left the door, with Bella's back facing it. Her face lit up with a wide smile plastered across it. "Oh there he comes, EDWARD!" Alice waved among the crowd. And Bella, naturally, turned to where Alice was waving at and found a man, in a charming Armani suit stroding in their direction. His eyes were of beautiful topaz and of course, noticeable from afar, while altogether, he reminded her of a Greek God like one of the sculptures she had seen at the MET a few days earlier. In a way, he seemed familiar to her and yet she couldn't recall._

_"Hello sis", he placed a kiss on Alice's cheek and then looked down at Bella with his beautiful eyes. Funnily, he looked stunned for a moment. Alice placed her arm on his and immediately introduced, "Edward, my friend Bella, Bella, my brother Edward". The siblings settled down, with Edward next to Alice and across the table from Bella._

_Bella greeted with a smile. "Hello"_

_Of course, Edward remembered her. She has been popping into his head randomly for the past few days, especially when he's too stressed out reading through his documents. He even had his driver took a longer road pass the MET when he's on his way to work, in hopes to catch a glance of her. It was the exact same smile she gave which left such deep impression on Edward._

_He smiled in return. "Hi". Bella couldn't help but noticed his strong jawline and full lips when he did. But that stop her from wondering if she had seen him before. "Have we met?". Alice looked from her friend to her brother, "Have you guys met before?"_

_Edward smirked and took a sip of his drink which Alice ordered earlier, "Not officially, no"_

_Bella never took her eyes off him and kept studying his face to recall. "Cause you look familiar"_

_He shrugged and joked, "Well I suppose 70 of the men in Manhattan are dressed up in suits like me". Then he continued, "So Bella, whereabouts are you from?"_

_She obviously did not pay attention to his question and frowned at him. "Are you sure we haven't met?"_

_Edward Cullen was amazed and caught off guard at what she was doing to him. Her persistence officially classified her as the first woman who impressed him the way no other can. Well, except for his sister of course, but that wasn't the case. _

_Alice, by now, was rolling her eyes. "You're still contemplating about that?" She figured that Bella was never going to answer Edward's question and took it forher. "She's from Forks, Washing.." But before she could finish her sentence, Bella instantly countered with a satisfactory expression on her face."A-ha! The MET, I remember you, you had the Armani suit on in a darker shade than this"_

_Edward leaned back in his seat and folded his arms. "Well you had the same pair of earrings with you the other day". He said, referring to the pair of bohemian earrings which were her favourite and also her vintage sketchbook next to her on the table. "And your sketchbook"_

_Bella's smile swept across her face. "I'm impressed" She looked on at this man she's never met before her entire life, and yet, he could tell everything about her in a fifteen-second meeting, when her own father couldn't. _

_Edward nodded with a smirk. "Likewise"_

_Alice frowned, looking confused as ever. "I take it you both have met before?"_

_Bella proclaimed, "Unofficially". She exchanged a glance with Edward, who was fixated on her across the table. And that was all it took. One meeting, three coffee dates, five visits to the MET and ten dinner dates later, he asked her to move in and Edward Cullen became a one-woman man. Though Charlie wasn't thrilled with the idea of his daughter moving in with a man he has never met, there was nothing he could do when he's all the way in Forks. Bella thought that she knew better than Charlie. She knew she has fallen big time, and she believed that she could still do whatever made her come to the city in the first place even after moving in with him. Unfortunately, it took her far long to realise that this rush may be the biggest mistake which might set them apart later in life. _

_**ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo**_

"You give me something, 

_**that makes me scared all right,**_

_**this could be nothing,**_

_**but I'm willing to give it a try"**_


	5. Lucky

**Note: aNother oneeee up! have fun! **

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

**  
LUCKY**

Bella was running late, as usual.

This time however, she couldn't afford to be running late, not when she has an interview at Ralph Lauren. To save time, she has decided to rush to the office on foot rather than take the cab and get stuck in traffic. It was a decision she made when she dashed into the shower exactly one hour before the interview. Bella never denied that she was never good in being punctual. Yet, she has a reason for it. She believes that artists, like her, should be excused for being impunctual and when she meant artists, she meant messy disorganized artists.

Naturally, she opted for her chic ballet flats instead of heels because heels will get her nowhere if she were to go on a marathon across the city. She made it to the office narrowly five minutes before her schedule and thanked God for being so kind to her.

"Hi, I'm Isabella Swan, here for my ten a.m. interview?", Bella headed to the reception at the lavish front foyer of Ralph Lauren and there sat a lady with a headset locked into one side of her ears. She reminded Bella of Amanda Tannen from Ugly Betty which she was wathcing with Alice a few nights ago, with her blonde hair and sarcastic eye brows.

"Head on in", the Amanda-Tannen-look-a-like motioned her arm to the big glass door on the right ignorantly and went back to checking her nails.

"Thanks", Bella paced slowly to the big door and crossed over to the other side of it.

A lady with thick nerdy glasses but beautiful Louboutin heels emerged from one of the exec rooms and clunked her way towards Bella. "Isabella Marie Swan? You're up now". And then she turned on her heel, clunking her way back to the room where she came from. At the same time, she made sure that Bella was right behind her.

She led Bella into the room before heading back out again. Bella stood in one of the typical Manhattan offices with huge windows and dazzling lightings, just like Edward's- a place she has been too familiar with. Unfortunately, Edward's was way better with his Roman artwork and of course, the view from his window which Bella grew to love. There was a man at the desk, with gray hair and also thick glasses like the lady before. "Sit", he asked.

Bella settled, as she was told. He didn't seem friendly, based on Bella's instantly active mind. "Introduce yourself Miss Swan", he certainly didn't waste another minute.

It may sound weird but Bella Swan was impeccably nervous. She was never nervous, not even when she was up against Charlie, nor the time she first set foot in Manhattan. This time however, was different. She took a deep breath. "I'm Isabella Swan, but I go by Bella. I'm 23 and..."

She did not get to finish her sentence and he instantly butted in with a studious glance over at her, simultaneously referring at her resume back and forth. "I know all that Miss Swan. It says here that you've never had a proper experience in working before, what made you think that you can work for us?"

"Well I know what I'm good at Mister..", she paused to study the name tag on his table, "Mister Harmon. And I believe that I'll be a good addition to the company"

"Two thousand people come through that door every year and tell me the same thing. What are the odds of you being one of them who will not disappoint me?"

She retorted instantly, "Mr. Harmon, I don't think I'm the same as the two thousand people you're referring to". Bella never considered herself as "ordinary". She's Bella Swan, the extraordinaire. She believes that every designer is special in their own way.

He shrugged. "I don't think you're any different"

"Excuse me?" She blinked at him, in awe of his response. He crumpled her resume and tossed it in the waste paper bin and it set Bella speechless. "Come back when you have enough material to show me, Ms. Swan"

Bella tried to have herself composed and stood up from her seat. She smiled warmly, "Well Mr. Harmon, it was nice meeting you. And thank you too, for wasting my time". Bella sent a shock of sarcasm across to him and walked out the door. She left the building in a hurry, desperately searching for a place to scream and cry and oh, so many emotions are plunging through her body and mind that she's willing to go to the empire state building and bungee jump.

She didn't know where to go, she didn't know who to go to because her mind blanked out and suddenly the only person which crossed her mind was him. She knew she couldn't go to him, not especially when they were done but at the same time, her tears were almost ready to burst like Niagara Falls. Bella needed to stop, she knew she had to. Quickly, she hailed a cab and rushed to the ever-so-famous Magnolia Bakery- her hideout to get away from any single turmoil in life.

Without wasting any time, Bella immediately hustled into the bakery and pushed through the crowd. It was lunch time, true, but it did not stop her from getting to her cupcakes. "A dozen cupcakes", she ordered out loud and instantly list out all the specifications she always asked for.

The waitress blinked and shook her head, "I'm sorry, we've ran out of cupcakes for today"

Bella's face fell. "Oh"

It felt like her only way out has left her to die and slowly, she moved out through the crowd looking dejected. There was no where she could go now, but home. Bella purposely took a longer way home, to have an excuse to walk pass the MET and every other place she loved. It was not supposed to be this way anymore, but then again, the places she passed reminded her of Edward and they did make her feel better. She hated herself for not being able to stand up straight without him or his presence or heck, anything at all which reminded her of him.

Two hours later, when she finally made it home, she was stunned to find a beautifully wrapped box right before her front door. Bella picked it up, studying the box and looked around her apartment to see if it belonged to anyone but her. But the aroma which came from the box prompted her to want to figuratively rip it apart. And so she did, she took the ribbon apart and when she lifted the cover, it was her twelve cupcakes she searched for earlier.

It didn't take her forever to guess who they were from, in fact, it was an easy guess that if it was an exam question, she would scored in it even with her eyes shut. The cupcakes were all of the specifications she preferred and there was only one person who knew of it. Bella took out her cellphone and began tapping on her keypad before she headed into her apartment to munch the rest of the day through.

**ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo**

Edward was on his way to another fund-raiser gala with his new date whom he met on the plane back from Hong Kong last weekend. His date blushed, as she noticed a tiny smirk creeping across Edward's face. However, she did not know that there was more to a reason behind the smile on his lips. Slowly, she placed her hand over his. Edward's cellphone then rung with a message alert tone.

For the first time in months, his eyes glowed as he read the message on his phone.

_**Thanks xx :)**_

_****_

Edward's tiny smirk grew into a wider smile. His date was curious, "Is there something funny?" She inched closer to try and catch a glimpse of his screen.

Quickly, he shoved his phone down his pocket and lifted her hand to his mouth. "Nothing"

**oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo  
**

_**"I keep you with me in my heart**_

_**You make it easier when life gets hard"**_


	6. Belief

**NOTE: heres another onee. have fun, please read and review and tell me what you guys think. as well as tell tell me some of your ideas which you would like to see me include. i do have a rough idea of what characters might jump in later in the story as well as the ending. but nonetheless, opinions don't hurt :) and song used, Gavin Degraw's BELIEF. Beautiful song, again, check it outttttttttttt. **

_**ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo**_

_**BELIEF**_

If that's not what you call fate then Edward would not have any other word for it.

It was not mere coincidence that he was on Bleecker Street and it certainly wasn't that he was stalking her. In fact, he woke up as usual with her as the first thing that popped into his mind like any other day. He thought about what she loved and hated and somehow, something prompted him to go head to Magnolia Bakery. And so he did. He saw her, hustling through the crowd for sold-out cupcakes and it almost killed him to see her face so fragile.

Money may not buy him Bella's love but it certainly could get him her favourite "antidepressants", as she loved to call them. The moment Bella disappeared off the corner, he hurried into the bakery and promised to pay the kitchen ten times the original price of the cupcakes, with all Bella's specifications. Of course, money always win the case. Edward was over the moon.

He promised Alice not to butt into Bella's life until she was finally ready but desperate times call for desperate measures as Edward immediately had Cadbury find out where Bella's new pad was at. When he dropped the cupcakes off, Edward was officially the most contented man on earth. Even if Bella had never figured out, even if he was not able to comfort her, he still believed that he had done something right.

**oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo  
**

_"Today is a very very special day!", she exclaimed excitingly, hopping onto the bed they shared as Edward groggily tried to bury his face in between the pillows. It was already 9 in the morning with a super bright sun shining through the window and she was annoyed that he was more into his sleep than paying attention to her. Bella grabbed the nearest pillow to her and threw it at Edward's head. "Wake upppp!"_

_Edward mumbled between his sleep, "Belle I slept at 4". His eyes could not even open up wide._

_She scoffed, and retorted, "I don't recall you worrying about that seven days ago!". Exactly seven days ago, Edward was late one of their dates and in fact, he was very late that Bella waited for six hours for him to turn up. He had been held back at the board meeting and completely forgotten about their supposed date to celebrate the first collection she came up with on her sketch._

_It took him two hours and a million sorrys to get her to even look at him after that. In addition, he promised to let her take him to the famous Magnolia Bakery, a haven she grew to love the moment she stepped foot into New York City. Bella always thought that Edward has a fussy tongue which take nothing except for fine dining and she was keen for him to have a taste of the other love of her life- the cupcakes of Magnolia Bakery. _

_"Oh right, can we do it another day? I'm really worn out", he said it so casually like it didn't matter to him one bit. That was all it took and she was upset. Get this right, she wasn't upset that she could not get what she want but it was the idea of him breaking his promises over and over again that sets her off the roof. _

_She took herself off the bed, "Forget it". With that, she walked out of the room. _

_By the time Edward woke up, it was six hours later. He rubbed his eyes and called out, "Bella?"_

_Bella was supposed to be home because she was always around whenever Edward slept in. She was always there whenever he opened his eyes. When there was no answer, lazily, he picked himself up and started searching the whole house for her._

_"Oh fuck", Edward muttered a curse under his breath when he recalled what happened. He immediately ransacked the house for his cellphone to call her. His fingers tapping fast on his keypad and his head kept telling him how stupid he was. Bella didn't answer. And Edward knew he let her down once again._

_When she came home that night, she was all alone. It was something she had grown accustommed to, she was used to not having Edward around in the house. She was used to waiting for him to walk through that door almsot every night and waiting for him to wake up every morning. She tossed her heels on the floor on the way and sat by the large window of Edward's penthouse which overlooked the entire city. If there were three things that could keep her company at home when he was not home, it was the large window which allowed her to see the entire city at night, the fully-utensilized kitchen which allowed her to cook up some new recipe and her sketchbook, her sole companion since forever. _

_"Forgive me?" Bella turned to the voice and found Edward standing at the door, with a beautifully wrapped box in his hand. When he saw her looking at him with her very cold chocolate eyes, he pled, "Please?". _

_Bella recognized the box, it was from Magnolia Bakery. Cadbury, Edward's faithful butler cleared his throat, "Miss Swan, Master Cullen queued up two hours for these at Magnolia Bakery. I believe he said that he would never come back to see you if he hadn't gotten these cupcakes". Edward motioned for Cadbury to leave the room._

_He then walked towards her with the box in his hand and slowly, he sat down on the floor next to Bella. Instead of replying like how he expected her to, she kept quiet. His voice then begun, "Belle I'm sorry. I am really sorry. I felt like an idiot the entire day knowing what I've done"_

_Bella rolled her eyes, "Oh gee it must be something new for you huh to feel like an idiot". She held back her tears and refused to look at him._

_He sighed, "Yes and I must admit that the feeling is not as mere as I thought it would be, especially when I know I have disappointed you again". Bella always knew, if there was one thing Edward was impeccably good at, it was his words. He can be as charismatic, convincing and charming as he want himself to be. _

_Slowly, he unwrapped the box and it revealed the twelve cupcakes from Magnolia Bakery exactly the way she wanted them to be. He confessed, "They were sold out by the time it was my turn. And I had to beg an old lady for these, can you imagine how desperate I was?"_

_Edward nudged her arm softly,"Come on, help me out here, my morality just stooped to the lowest level today by denying that little grandma of her cupcakes"_

_Bella let out a light chuckle and countered, "That was pretty low of you". His face instantly lit up when he heard her chuckle. "Yes and they might not be what you want specifically, but they're still cupcakes all the way from Bleecker Street", he said as-a-matter-of-factly._

_How could she bare to stay angry at him for long when he's doing all these for her. Bella may want to be extraordinary in life, but at the same time, simple things in life can make her the happiest woman on earth. She didn't need diamonds from Tiffany's or pearls from the most expensive oysters in the world. She _

_only want simple things. Bella looked at him and pronounced, "Apology accepted". And then, she sealed it with a kiss on the beautiful lips of his which said so many things earlier._

**oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo**

_**"Belief  
makes things true,  
things like you,  
you and I"**_


	7. Can't You Just Adore Her

_**Note: This is a pretty short one. Wrote it in quite a short time but more to come soon! Song used, Mandy Moore- Can't You Just Adore Her. I'm a music person and I listen to alot of diff music and usually, I analyse the words used and get amused by them :) I'm weird I know. But this song is a little adult contemp and it inspired this additional characteristic of Bella that I decided to include. So please read and review. And don't forget, opinions are welcomed! Have fun!**_

**ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo  
**

**CAN'T YOU JUST ADORE HER**

"I can't believe you went to look for a job", Alice nagged, even while they were having their usual yoga session. She threw herself into her stances without any focus and knowing Alice, Bella knew she wasn't done talking, "Bella you're supposed to be working on the competition, remember?"

Yoga was all about concentration and bringing out the inner strength in yourself but Alice's naggings is dragging her out of the supposed focus she was supposed to be having. Bella sighed,"Well, I still HAVE TO work somehow".

That was it, Alice stopped and immediately shook her head delibreately, "NO you ARE going to work on that competition". Alice knew Bella had it in her all along, it's just that the talent deep insde of her needed to be triggered. And the problem is, she did not know how.

Bella retorted, "We had a deal that you only get to control me till the prelims". Bella moved forward with her yoga stance and closed her eyes with steady breaths.

Instead, she was countered by Alice's smart reply, "Yes, and that includes NOW, since it's before the prelims". By now, Alice was sitting cross-legged on her yoga mat next to Bella.Yoga and meditation were the last thing on her mind; and instead, Bella was the first.

"Hmph fine". She should have known that nothing will be able to talk Alice out of whatever she's headstrong about. So Bella decided to give up on talking to Alice and please her the easiest way she knew how; work on the competition and pray that she won't get through the preliminaries. After that, she can run her life the way she wanted to. Bella smirked at the thought of it.

**ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo**

She awoke the next day and the first thing she did was hop out of bed and pull open the door of the fridge.

Bella needed her chocolates, especially her extra bitter dark chocolate that will instantly get her adrenaline pumping. The Gilmores on the Gilmore Girls put coffee on the must-list for breakfast every morning but Bella preferred chocolates. Coffee, however, is something she prefers to have at night especially when it's all chilly. Sometimes she wonder if she had a screwed up lifestyle to begin with. Edward used to call her silly for having coffee at night when he has his in the morning before his run.

"Okay Bella, you're going to do this, you're going to do this, you're going to do this...", she chanted on in front of the mirror before her, as an attempt to coax herself into starting work. Bella knows that if she doesn't get it going soon, Alice will literally chop her head off. And in a way, she, herself, wants to get moving to get everything over with.

She had her pencil armed in her fingers as she placed her sketch paper in front of her. Bella took a deep breath, desperate to crack her head for ideas. She scouted around the house, and even down the street as her desk was purposely placed right next to the two largest windows in the room.

She tried, for seconds, to minutes, to hours, until the floor around her was covered up with crumple-balled papers. "Ugh I can't", she was ready to just give up and threw her pencil on the desk.

Then something caught her eye from the coffee table close to the desk; it was as if a light bulb just lit above her head with a sound of a "ting".

It was the cupcakes box from Magnolia Bakery which she was supposed to get rid of the night before and Bella walked over to the coffee table to observe it closer. It became her instant muse.

Least need to be said then when she moved to her desk and started on her collection with no return.

**oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo**

_**"She likes chocolate in the morning,**_

_**she drinks her coffee late at night"**_


	8. Lost

_**Note: Here's another one. Please read and review. Song used, "Lost" by Anouk- one of my fav of all time.**_

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

**  
LOST  
**

"So tell me, how many freaking times have you been flying out of the country the past month?"

It was their typical boys night out on which became a routine for them and an excuse to get away from their other-halves. Jasper initially thought, if the girls could get their girls night out, surely the boys could do the same. Boys night out meant no boundaries and they've gone way overboard if there were any if any visits to the strip clubs and cabaret included. Yet at the end of the day, they still go back to whoever they're supposed to.

Edward downed his tequila shot and sighed, "Jasper, if you're planning to lecture me, your fiancee has done enough". Jasper proposed to Alice about ten months ago on a trip to Hawaii and their families are thrilled with the idea of them spending the rest of their lives together. In fact, Jasper's parents couldn't stop thanking Edward for putting an end to their son's philandering ways the moment he dragged his sister into their friendship. They never looked back since the day they first met.

"I'm not trying to lecture but it seems to me that you're desperate to overwork yourself". Jasper moved in closer, his eyes verved from one end to another in a split second, "And that chick has been checking you out for the past fifteen minutes". Jasper's been trying to set Edward up with random chicks they come across on their nights out after Bella departed from his life.

Edward turned to where Jasper's eyes verved to and scoffed, downing another shot, "Blonde. Tall. Leggy. Bamboo stick. Typical"

Jasper immediately rolled his eyes, "Oh right, I forgot that you're still sulking"

His comment caused an Edward to retort instantly, like a spring jumping out of a surprise box. "I'm not sulking". Clearly, he was. It's just that Edward didn't like the idea of "weak Edward" in front of other people.

"A hot babe is checking you out right now and you show no sign of interest. What happened to the Edward Cullen I met back at Ivy League who scored chicks and finals like they're plain ABCs?".

"That Edward Cullen is sitting right before you"

Jasper taunted, "I can't believe I'm wasting my time here sitting with you in a Singles' bar"

"And I can't believe you called my sister". Edward caught sight of Alice walking in their direction. _Great, _he thought to himself. His one boys night out with his best friend is now intervened by his own sister when the last thing he needed that moment was his sister lecturing him again.

"Hey boys", Alice landed in between them and put each her arms around their shoulders. She called out to the bartender, "One martini please"

Jasper leaned forward to give her a peck, "Where were you at?". He wasn't being a control freak, he was just curious.

Alice looked over at Edward and quickly shrugged, "Oh you know, just somewhere". She had her "something is up" smile plastered on her face and Jasper as well as Edward knew that smile very well. Jasper cocked his eyebrow and teased, "Somewhere? Are you cheating on me?"

Alice countered, sarcastically, "Yes, with a fat old geezer I met while waiting for a cab"

"You two should just fly to Vegas and get hitched already", Edward decided to annoy Alice with the subject of "marriage". The truth is, Jasper has been wanting to sign the nuptials with her but Alice holds on to her feminism mentality until the time is right.

Jasper sighed in relief, with a grateful tone to Edward, "Please talk some sense into your sister"

"Very funny. So brother, where are you flying off to this week?" Alice sneered at her brother on purpose.

"Wha- ", Edward threw his hands up,"Why is everyone acting like I'm flying all around the world purposely?"

"Then why won't you stay in the city longer for more than two weeks for once?", his sister instantly retorted, "Unless you're hiding"

Jasper butted in, "That chick is still checking you out".

"Who?", Alice asked and swiftly looked around until she caught attention of a skimpily dressed blondie who has her eyes in their direction. Immediately, she turned back to Edward and rambled, "I don't like the way she dresses and the way she looks. Do you need me to tell her off, because she looks like she's about to rip your clothes off"

Jasper shook his head, "Your sister's crazy"

This time, Edward shot him back a smart reply, "My sister happens to be the person you're going to marry".

Jasper turned to Alice and switched the subject, "Seriously, where were you earlier? I texted you numerous times"

She hesitated, "Umm I was over at Bella's"

"Oh", his eyes moved from Alice to Edward in a swift second and back to Alice, "I haven't seen her for quite a long time. How's she doing?"

"She's", Alice paused while searching for the right words, "- alright. The preliminaries are coming up next week"

Edward finished up his drink and stood up, "Hey I think I'm gonna go now". His main mission was to forget Bella for the night but his sister showed up talking about her.

Alice held him back, "What? But I just arrived!"

Edward gave his sister a kiss on her cheek and settled her down his seat next to Jasper, "You two lovebirds have fun. I'm done for the night". With that, he walked off. Jasper called out, as he walked off, "What about that hot chick? Edward!" And all he got in reply, was a wave from Edward.

Cadbury was taking him back to his penthouse suite as Edward laid his head on the headrest at the back of his limo. When Cadbury took a turn into one of the streets seemed familiar to him, he decided to do something stupid; something which he knew he'll regret. "Cadbury, could you take a turn on the left?", he called out.

His butler obediently replied, "Yes Sir". Of course Cadbury knew where he was going, he knew it too well in fact that he even knew where to pull over. The moment the car stopped, Edward rolled down his window.

And he could see her, working at the desk which was placed by the window. She had her cup of hot coffee at the window sill and certainly she was too busy to even notice this random fellow staring at her from down the street like a stalker. But that was all it took and Edward was contented for the night. He just needed to make sure that she was holding up fine.

He just wanted to make sure that she was okay.

**oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo**

_**"I get lost in this world**_

_**I get lost in your eyes**_

_**And when the lights go down**_

_**That's where I'll be found"**_


	9. Still

_**Note: Sorry for the delay. Been busyy. So here you go. Title is a song by Matt Nathanson.  
**_

_**ooooooooooooooooooooooooo**_

**STILL**

_He loved how she fit perfectly in his arms. She may be a lot smaller than he was but that was the point; she fits right into his arms unlike his other supermodel lanky bed partners of whom some are as tall as he is. Bella laid right on top of him, with her chin resting upon his chest. Every now and then, she would place her ear to his chest to listen to his heartbeat. She loved listening to the way his heart thumping. And if she had her way, she would have laid there forever by just doing that. _

_Out of the blue, Edward teased, "You're such a witch". He ran his hands along her beautiful hair behind her back. His line prompted her to arch her body up as she found him with a smirk plastered across his face._

_Bella blinked at him, "Excuse me?" She knew Edward was joking, but Bella wanted to know what it meant when he said it. She was insecure, because Edward has probably had a gazillions of other girls in her current position._

_Edward simply replied, "You've casted this dreadful spell on me". He pulled her closer and lifted his head to place a kiss on her head, in the midst of her messy but lavender-shampooed hair._

_"Well that's too bad for you", Bella shrugged, and then she decided to play along. She raised her left brow with an instigating look, "And do you always say that to your other bed partners after sex?"_

_"No, only one- You", Edward hastily clarified, "And you're not just my bed partner". Edward never wanted Bella to feel as if he was just using her like she was a few-day tool. _

_Bella placed her head back on Edward's chest and resumed listening to his heartbeat and the echo of his voice through the inside of his torso, "So am I supposed to feel special?"_

_"You don't have to", Edward answered wittily,"You are special". Bella always knew, even when they first met that Edward's tongue was not only good at kissing as well as all the other foreign languages in the world, it was good with words. Edward, in fact, was good with his words._

_Bella sighed. And he immediately sensed the sudden change of atmosphere, all by her sigh. "What?", he asked._

_She was honest enough to tell him. "You don't sound serious"_

_Instantly, he flipped her over and pinned her at the bottom with his weight. Bella was much smaller than he is and she was confused at what he was about to do. Edward gazed into her eyes, with his arms on the side of her face. "I am serious when I'm with you. I'm already under your spell."_

_Bella didn't answer, she didn't retort with any clever remarks like always. Instead, she reached her head up and sealed Edward's words with a kiss on his lips, as they slowly picked up from where they left off before. _

**oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo**

There was a loud thump on the floor as Bella fell on the floor, sliding off the couch she made into her bed last night. It was one of those recurring dreams again where she was being put in a room with four-totally-sealed-walls painted with vibrant colours with nothing but a pen in front of her. Each time she reached forward to grab hold of the pen, it moves further away, just like one of those sci-fi movies with psychics who move things around with their mind. Bella was not a psychic for sure, but one thing that has been bugging her was this particular dream which has been occupying her night since the past week.

She had tried to google a dream encyclopedia to decipher its code and found it harder to crack than the Da Vinci Code when there were no results in return.

Bella picked herself up, reluctantly from the floor and soothing her cheek which she fell on. Her house by now looked like a papermade bird's nest with her wanted and unwanted sketches. Her cellphone started ringing and Bella started tossing her papers around the floor, practically making the "bird's nest" look worse, frantically searching for her ringing cellphone.

"Hello?", she didn't even bother checking the caller ID.

Alice's voice came onto the receiver of her cellphone. "You need to get laid". Bella could hear horns blasting in Alice's background.

"Did you call me just to remind me that I haven't gotten laid in 3 months?", Bella replied, in a curious manner. True, she hasn't been with anyone ever since Edward.

"No, I meant you need to get laid to bring back the old and hippie Bella who will go out partying with me till the break of dawn! And oh, three months?! What's with the abstinence?", Alice rambled on the phone.

Bella sighed. "Alice, I have a life to run and sketches to draw"

Alice cut Bella off and moved to the reason why she called, "Well forget all that for a second because I need you this Saturday for this huge family thing at the Hamptons"

"I am already broken up with your brother remember?", Bella rolled her eyes. She didn't need to remind herself that often.

"But you did not break up with me. So Meet me Saturday at my place at 8. And oh, good luck for the prelims tomorrow!", Alice gave a loud smooch and quickly hung up before Bella could decline Alice's request. She should have known that saying No to Alice means affirming that you'll say Yes even more.

Restlessly, she picked herself up and headed for her table as she got her main outfit piece ready for tomorrow's preliminaries.

**ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo**

_**"I remember you and me,**_

_**tangled in hotel sheets,**_

_**for hours"**_


End file.
